The Eyes Have It
by DarkFox2009
Summary: On Suzie Wong's 8th birthday, a simple party and a bogus clown may prove to be a bigger problem than anyone could have thought, especially when all of the digimon, except for Lopmon, begin to act strangely. And it may end up being up to one of the youngest tamers to put an end to Myotismon's schemes and save her friends from their destruction...at the hands of their own partners.
1. Quit Clowning Around

2:29 P.M. The second hand on the clock inside of a small classroom at Fox Hollow High School began its final countdown. Sixty seconds left until the first day of school came to an end. And while Mrs. Szalinski continued her history lecture, Ryan anxiously awaited for the bell that would allow him and hundreds of his fellow students' freedom. A single bead of sweat coursed its way down his forehead to his temple while he repeatedly tapped his foot, praying to leave before the boredom reached its peak.

Finally, after an excruciating minute, it rang and was followed by the teacher releasing her students with a very droll, "Class dismissed."

Upon leaving the classroom, headed for the stairwell, Ryan ran into Zack who looked nearly as miserable as he did during the last period. "Don't even say a word. I can tell by the look on your face you'd rather have taken a knockout punch from Mike Tyson instead of sitting through class. What did you have?"

"Algebra…I understood everything but the class is so _boring_." Zack replied, rubbing his eyes having nearly fallen asleep in the classroom. "That's one day down, a hundred seventy-nine more to go. You want to go grab a slice of pizza?"

"Can't, I promised Rika's grandmother I'd help decorate their backyard for Suzie's birthday. Do you want to come? It's been like three weeks and you haven't been to Shinjuku yet. I'm sure everyone would like to meet you." He knew that Zack was still somewhat hesitant about the entire deal but desperately wanted all of his new friends to meet his best friend. "I promise the teleportation doesn't hurt. You don't feel a thing and it takes literally seconds. Come on, what do you say?"

It took him nearly a minute to contemplate his decision until finally he relented and said, "Okay. But if I turn into the Brundlefly or something I'm melting _you_ first."

* * *

After leaving the school, the two teens walked up the block, rounded the corner and entered the park where they found a secluded spot. Ryan looked around to make sure that the coast was clear before taking out the DTD from his pocket.

"Here we go." Upon activation the white energy sphere encased them inside and shrank until it was gone, reappearing moments later just outside the front gate of the Nonaka house in Shinjuku, Japan. "See? I told you. Nothing to…it" His sentence was cut off when he looked back and saw Zack laying on his back taking deep breaths. "Please tell me you're just joking?"

"Ask my stomach that question" Ryan helped Zack up, allowing him to take everything in for a few seconds. "So, we're _really _in Japan?"

"Yep…well, Shinjuku to be specific, which is a ward of Tokyo." The explanation he gave was met with a shocked stare. "What? I figured if I'm going to be visiting a lot I needed to learn the geography. Otherwise, I'd get lost just by crossing the street."

They passed through the front gate and made their way around the side of the house, which was already decorated with streamers, balloons and pink signs with the words "Happy Birthday, Princess Suzie!", in bold purple lettering, posted up all along the walls. The backyard itself had an even bigger array of decorations including a piñata in the shape of a magic wand, a pin the tail on the donkey game and, last but not least, a bounce castle for all the kids to play in.

Henry and Terriermon were sitting on the deck blowing up balloons. However, the latter, due to his size, became lightheaded and fell backwards, his eyes turning into squiggles. "Oh…I think you'd better handle the rest of these."

"Have no fear, help is here. And I brought a buddy of mine. Zack this is Henry and Terriermon."

"It's nice to meet you. Ryan's told us a lot about you." He set down a balloon in order to shake his hand.

Terriermon sprung back up and shook off the dizziness. "Glad you brought someone to help. I need a break."

"That's his way of saying he's glad to make your acquaintance." Ryan added, whispering to him. "Hey, there isn't a clown coming is there?"

"Yeah, my mom and dad ordered one. Why?" Henry asked, noting the tone of concern.

Ryan's face cringed up a bit. "Ugh…I hate clowns. They're so creepy. My mom got me one for my 10th birthday and this was right after I saw the movie "It" for the first time. Let's just say that I didn't get a sound night's sleep for about a week and I now hate Fun Houses. Say, where are Rika and Renamon? Aren't they helping us out too?"

At that point, the rabbit digimon chimed in. "Rika went to get a gift for Suzie and Renamon went with her. They should be back soon."

"Okay, well, let's get cracking." With that they went back to work, time being of the essence.

* * *

Despite nearly being burnt to a crisp two times before, Aurumon was back to spy on the tamers at his masters behest. Both of his mechanical eyes began to glow and zoomed in on the teens as they continued with preparations for Suzie's party. Myotismon watched, from the owl's point of view, and listened in on the trio with gruesome intentions in mind.

"Isn't that sweet? It's one of the tamers birthdays." Devimon, also present, added. "Perhaps we should, as the humans say, _crash_ the party?"

Myotismon, who would have normally been angered by his subordinate taking it upon himself to formulate a plan, seemed to sadistically enjoy the input. "Yes. Some _uninvited_ guests will be our present to all of them. And since that human I despise so much detests clowns, I think we should provide some…added _entertainment_…just for him."

* * *

While Ryan was setting up the tables with plates, forks, napkins, party hats and goody bags, for all the boys and girls planning to attend, when glanced up to see a dozen shadow slayers emerging from the wall across the yard. "Uh, guys? We got some party crashers here!"

"Get in the house!" Henry exclaimed to Zack, who hurried inside, before he and Terriermon stood by their friend's side, ready to battle. "Three weeks, I'm surprised. I expected this to happen a lot sooner. What do you say, four a piece?"

"Sounds good to me…" Ryan got into a fighting stance and groaned. "I knew I hated the first day of school for a reason."

The three of them charged forward with Henry being the first to do combat. He ducked a combo attack from two slayers and spin kicked them both across the face at the same time.

Ryan crescent kicked one of his attackers away, swept the leg of another before being grabbed in a reverse bear hug by the third. For a brief moment, it looked as if he would be skewered by the last one's claw but managed to break free, grab the attack slayers arm, side kick the one that originally had him and then flipped the one he was holding onto its back.

"Bunny Blast…!" For Terriermon it was like shooting fish in a barrel as he easily mowed them down one by one after using his aerodynamic ears to get above them.

Although most were down for the count, a pair of them rose up for a second round. "Looks like they didn't get the hint…" Looking around the yard he spotted a wooden limbo pole leaning up against one of the tables and quickly seized it. "…how about we raise the bar?" Henry nodded, grabbed the opposite end and the two of them together clotheslined the slayers straight back to Myotismon. "And I thought I was bad at this game."

Zack poked his head out, ever so slightly, from the doorway. "Is it…_safe_? Are they gone?"

"Yeah, we took care of them." Ryan replied, reassuring his friend that the danger had indeed passed. "Is Seiko alright?"

Before Zack had a chance to answer, Rika and Renamon made a sudden entrance that caused the teen to run back in the house again. "Are you guys okay? We were almost here when I got a call from my grandma telling me you guys were attacked!"

"We're fine. It was the shadow slayers again. Just glad this didn't happen during Suzie's party." Henry surveyed the damage done and, luckily, only the table and a few other decorations were misplaced in the fray. "But just in case, we should have _all_ our digimon on guard should Myotismon try anything else."

No words were exchanged but Rika agreed nonetheless. "Can someone help me go get the bags? I dropped them a few blocks away. Hopefully, they're still there."

"Henry, if you want to go help her I'll clean up here." Ryan offered since he arrived when almost everything was already set up. "Zack will give you a hand too."

The two tamers entered the dwelling accompanied by Terriermon, perched on top of his partner's head, while the lone teen remained behind to begin cleaning up the plates and plastic cutlery that was strewn about in the grass. Renamon approached from behind, bending down to offer him her assistance though he tried to pretend she wasn't there.

This was the first time they had seen one another since the celebration of their first victory over Myotismon's forces, becoming agents of DATA and having that dreadful conversation about what he said to her just before the battle with FlameWizardmon.

Although the issue had been resolved, Ryan still felt embarrassed and distanced himself from the vixen for that very reason. "I haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, I've been kind of busy. My sensei gave me a job managing his dojo a couple of days a week. It pays so I'm finally making some cash." It was too weak of an excuse and not one that she would buy. "And, well…I guess I just needed a break. I went through so much in such a short amount of time; I had to let it all sink in. Sorry about not keeping touch though."

"Would your_ break_ have anything to do with what you said to me?" Renamon asked, causing Ryan's eyes to widen in pure horror.

"What? No! Of course not…!" The nervous undertone did not help his case. "Maybe…" She glared right through him with her piercing blue eyes. "Okay, yes! Why do you think I ate all that food so quick and high tailed it, no offense, back to Fox Hollow? I felt so _awkward _after we spoke but I figured I'd feel different if I didn't see you for a few days or so. Cut to three weeks later, I get a call from Henry inviting me to Suzie's party. And here we are."

Renamon turned away from him in a disappointed fashion. "We've known each other for a long time. You were in a life threatening situation and gave me a sentiment from your heart. There should have been nothing for you to feel awkward about…unless, there is more to it than that?"

Again he had an opportunity to be honest and admit his true feelings for her but, alas, could not bring himself to do it. "No, I said…what I said…because you're one of my closest friends and..." Tear drops began forming in his eyes, streaming down his face shortly after. "…I was afraid to lose you or die, never getting the chance to tell you how much you and your friendship have meant to me. The reason I distanced myself is because I didn't know how you'd react. I'm so sorry, Renamon. Now, look at me…crying like a baby. Ha."

She turned once more, this time with the utmost tenderness, and wiped away his tears. "Listen… it took Rika a long time to admit her feelings as well because _she_ thought it would make her seem weak and, eventually, she realized it only made our bond stronger. You should never be ashamed of telling someone how much you care for them because you think they won't understand. They will…and I do."

"Thanks, Renamon. I'll be sure to keep that in mind." The sounds of multiple children, laughing, screaming and playing, filled the air. "Oh, boy, here we go. I think I'm actually starting to miss the shadow slayers right about now."

* * *

An hour went by and Suzie, along with most of her friends, ran rampant through the yard playing tag as well as the party games set up for them. The bounce castle was the most popular attraction to the youngsters as it was constantly filled to the brim with screaming seven and eight year olds.

Riley, who had been attending as a chaperone, saw how dangerous the inflatable structure was becoming and tried to get everything under control. "Hey, there's too many of you in there! It's not safe! Some of you have to come out and wait your turn!" At that moment the entire thing came crashing down on top of her before she could get out of the way. "I need a new job."

A group of kids, all armed with silly string and water balloons, ganged up on Kazu and Kenta, cornering them against the wall. "Dude, whose bright idea was it to give them all of that?"

"Yours…! _You're_ the one who brought the spray cans and the balloons that look like grenades!"

Kazu slapped his own face and ran his palm down it. "What was I thinking!? Next time, do me a favor…STOP ME BEFORE I BRING THAT STUFF TO A PARTY FULL OF CRAZY KIDS!"

Janyu, his wife, Mayumi, and even Mrs. Nonaka were sitting at the table in a daze after having been run ragged by all the other hyperactive children while trying to restore some order which left only Takato, Henry, Rika and Ryan still standing. "Now I know why my parents stopped throwing me big birthdays after I turned eight."

The goggle clad tamers attempt at humor fell flat on its face. "Takato, I'm the king of jokes and one liners and I wouldn't even kid about these _kids_. This is a nightmare! Let's just hope this is as bad as it gets. Where are the digimon, by the way?"

"Renamon and Terriermon are up on the roof. Guardramon is _guarding _the front yard along with MarineAngemon. Impmon's up in that tree either watching enjoying the show or sleeping. And Lopmon is, well..." The chocolate flavored bunny was decked out in a party hat and goofy glasses all while pretending to be a stuffed animal. "...you can see for yourself."

Ryan noticed that Henry had left out one of the core members. "And what about Guilmon…?"

"He's in the kitchen…helping Takato's father, mother and my grandmother bake the cookies and cake." Rika replied, closing her eyes and shaking her head. No one else had to say a word. They all knew that it would turn out be either a really good or really bad idea when it came time to sing "Happy Birthday".

The door to the dining room slid open. Seiko stood there; wearing a bright blue apron covered in batter, and cleared her throat loudly to get everyone's attention. "Boys and girls, I have a surprise for you! Skippy the Dancing Clown!"

Standing directly behind the elderly woman, jumping out to surprise all the kids, was a pint sized clown donned in all of the usual attire: rainbow colored hair, big hat, floppy shoes, poke-a-dot clothing and, of course, a giant red nose. "Hey, boys and girls, it's great to be here! We're all going to have a…hopping good time!"

As he started to hop, Suzie and her friends were quick to mimic. Ryan, who could barely stand the sight of him, began walking towards the house. "Okay, that's my cue to skidoo. I'll be in the living room watching TV if anyone needs me."

* * *

Fifteen minutes passed…Ryan sat on the couch, flipping through channel after channel trying to find a program that he would enjoy, when suddenly the phone began ringing on the end table next to him. Being that everyone was busy; he took the liberty of picking the cordless off its receiver and pressed the talk button quickly. "Nonaka residence…"

"Yes, hello, my name is Yu. I work over at Hiroki's Party World. I was just calling to let you know that the entertainer you ordered for Suzie Wong's party is going to be a little late due to a problem with one of our vans…" A rush of dread and fright hit him like a tidal wave because he realized that the clown in the backyard was a fake and that all of the young children were in immediate danger. He dropped the phone, jumped over the couch and raced out of the room. "Hello? Sir, are you still there? Hello? Sir, can you hear me? Is everything alright?"

* * *

**Author's Note: I really do hate clowns. No joke. **


	2. Gathering DATA

Ryan came to a sudden halt, deciding on the spur of the moment that it would be wiser not to burst out the back door, screaming like a lunatic and trying to warn everyone. Instead, he peeked outside and saw that no one had been harmed _yet_. The clown was continuing his routine, perhaps waiting for the right moment to attack. _I can't run out there and blow his cover. He'll hurt someone. And I can't warn the others or the digimon unless I get those kids away from that bogus bozo first. What do I do? What do I do?_

A crazy idea formed in his mind. He took out his cell phone and immediately began texting Rika who received it seconds later, breaking off from the group to read it: "I need you to get all the boys and girls attention on me when I come outside in a minute. Don't ask why, just trust what I'm telling you and do it…now."

She had no idea what was going on but, judging by how serious the message sounded, decided to go along with it, stood up on one of the chairs and, at the top of her lungs, shouted, "Hey! If you're all enjoying Skippy the Dancing Clown, then you'll _really_ like…" Ryan came out the door wearing Mrs. Nonaka's long black coat, her black beret, white powder all over his face and black icing smeared on his lips and eyebrows like make-up. Another text came through at the same time. "…Happy the Whimsical Mime!?"

Suzie's face light up with joy after sighting another form of entertainment and led the charge, all of her friends following as she ran over to him.

"Henry, what is he doing?" Janyu inquired, very confused by what he was watching.

Without saying a word, Ryan, using what knowledge he had of mimes, began silently laughing, waving hello and then pretending that he was trapped in an invisible box. Unbelievably, all of the children seemed quite amused. Impmon, having just woken up from an afternoon nap, did a fast double take when he spotted the makeshift mime. "Oh, boy…now I've seen everything."

"Why is he wearing my things?" Rumiko asked, noticing her belongings on his person.

Even Terriermon and Renamon, still perched atop the Nonaka's house, were puzzled by his actions. Though, only the latter knew that, for him act so _foolish_, something must be amiss but had no idea what.

Noticing that _Skippy_ was starting to become angrier with every passing second, Ryan realized he had to speed up his plan on getting them out of the yard. He made believe he was eating, rubbed his belly and pointed inside. Suzie seemed to get the hint, joyfully yelling out, "Yay! It's time to eat my birthday cake!"

All of the kids stampeded up the stairs and into the house, nearly running over Takato and Henry in the process. Rika and Henry's mother, including Riley, followed after them. Kazu and Kenta, both soaked to the bone and covered from head to toe in silly string, were just relieved to finally have been saved.

"Pyro-Sphere…!" The ball of fire caught Skippy by surprise and sent him sailing across the way.

"Guilmon, what are you doing!?" Takato yelled, shocked by the seemingly senseless assault.

"Takato, that's not a clown!" Ryan had come back outside sans the hat and coat but still covered in powder and frosting. "He's one of Myotismon's goons!"

Indeed this turned out to be true as in one swift motion he tore away his tattered, burnt clothing revealing himself to be a digital monster. "I should've known you were onto me the moment that you appeared in that ridiculous outfit. But no matter, seeing as how it doesn't change my plans one bit." The rest of the tamers digimon, including Lopmon, still in the party attire picked out by Suzie, appeared and were ready for a fight. "Perfect…"

He held the palms of his hands up where two eyes, one red and the other green which matched the markings on his mask, emitted a sudden burst of dark energy that momentarily blinded all who were present. And when they were able to see again, the mysterious digimon had practically vanished into thin air.

"What the heck just happened?" Impmon's words reflected how the rest of the group felt. They had all been expecting a somewhat lengthy conflict.

"Hmm…Maybe we scared him off?" Terriermon replied, shrugging both of his shoulders.

A rustling sound came from the side of the house near the bushes. Renamon leapt through the air and over the foliage. There was a small commotion, thought to be a struggle, until she appeared back from around the side holding the _real_ clown from Hiroki's Party World by his right arm. "Whoa! Cool costumes. What agency are you guys from?"

* * *

"Did you accomplish your mission?" Devimon asked, while standing in the center of the main foyer as his protégé arrived back through a dark portal. "Well? Did you or not?"

Dracmon grinned from ear to ear, displaying an early sign that his news was good. "Of course…I had to wait until one of those digidestined realized that I wasn't who they thought I was to bring their digimon together in one place. Still, I did manage to get them _all_ with my Eye of Nightmare attack. Right now they're probably wondering where I disappeared to, completely unaware that I now have total control over their minds at will."

"Very good…" The miniature virus type accepted the praise like any underling would. "...Master Myotismon will be most pleased."

"What should I have them do first?" Eagerly awaiting and anticipating his first act of villainy.

"Nothing…" Dracmon looked at Devimon as if he was crazy. He had just become the puppeteer to a new set of puppets and was not allowed to pull the strings. "We wait and allow the tamers to believe that nothing is wrong. And, when they've let their guard down...crush them in a way they never thought possible!"

* * *

Back on Earth, the tamers, along with their digimon, were in a special convoy bus bringing them to the new D.A.T.A. base, which had been under construction since the destruction of Hypnos several weeks prior, for a debriefing about the events that unfolded at Suzie's birthday party. Aside from Yamaki, Riley, Tally, Janyu and the rest of the Monster Makers, none of them had seen the new headquarters and were anxious to see it.

Most of the ride had been uncomfortably silent, until Impmon burst out in a fit of laughter which he had tried to suppress but failed to do. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Happy, da Whimsical Mime! Ha! Ha! Ha! That's too funny!"

Ryan covered his eyes and shook his head with embarrassment. "Will you please shut up?"

"Dude, why didn't you just come out and just tell them the cake was ready?" Kazu asked, taking off his signature visor and scratching his head with it. "Even if it wasn't, you could have _at least_ saved face."

"It was all I could think of at the time! And it worked! I got all the kids out of the yard, didn't I?"

"That's only because you managed to get yourself out of that imaginary box first! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Ai and Mako were trying to stop their partner from continuing his out of control behavior but to no avail. Ryan started to get up, having had enough of being made fun, of until Renamon's paw pressed him gently back down, as if to say "allow me", while making her way over to the purple imp. "Hey, Fox Face, what did you think of our boyfriend's disguise? Pretty hilarious, don't cha agree?"

Having been further embarrassed, Ryan sunk down into his own seat. _Someone just kill me now._

"He's _not _my boyfriend. But he is my friend. And I don't appreciate the way you're treating him right now." His laughter finally subsided until it ceased all together. "Regardless of how he went about it, he managed to save the children and warn us without anyone getting hurt…including Ai and Mako. Instead of laughing you should be thanking him for saving their lives."

Impmon's entire attitude changed after hearing the vixen's words. "You're right, toots. This is the second time in the last few weeks I've had to put my foot in my mouth. Sorry. To you too, kid."

"Don't worry about it. I…I…_wow_…" Everyone joined Ryan and looked out the windows at the large dome shaped building they had pulled up to, in awe by its sheer size. Although _they_ knew it was the new base of operations for D.A.T.A. a normal citizen would never have been able to tell based on how normal the exterior appeared. "This place beats the heck out of Hypnos, that's for sure."

Yamaki was there to greet them as they were led off the bus. "Glad _almost all of you _could make it." Referring to Ryo, who was too far away and busy with school work to make it for the grand tour. "Let's go. There's a lot to see."

"Question: when will we be given out standard issue neuralyzer?" Only Ryan began to laugh while the rest just gawked at him. "Okay, for real, we all need to get together every weekend for a movie night or something because the fact that not one of you understood what that reference was from is more frightening than Myotismon and Devimon combined."

Entering the building's lobby, which had a grey and white motif and only of a single receptionist desk in the center, the tamers were all a bit thrown off by how blasé everything seemed. "Man, this place could sure use an interior decorator. Feels like a prison in here."

"Seriously Kazu…? It's just the lobby." Rika snapped at his rudeness. "Besides, how would you know what a prison feels like?"

"Simple…I go to school every day." Kenta giggled at his cohorts answer then high fived him.

Takato also laughed but at both their dimwittedness instead of along with them. "Come on, guys, I'm sure there's more to this place that meets the eye."

"As a matter of fact there is, Takato." Yamaki reassured him and, subsequently, the rest of the tamers at the same time while waiting for an elevator. "You're all aware that the entire world found out about the existence of digimon during the D-Reaper incident. Since then there have been varying opinions about them by citizens and governments across the globe. Fortunately, thanks in part to the subsequent Locomon incident last year, the United Nations meeting on the issue several months ago yielded the funding required to begin the preparations to create D.A.T.A."

"I remember watching that on TV." Zack chimed in on the matter. "They also agreed that _all _digimon would be given all the rights and privileges of any living creature."

Yamaki nodded his head as the elevator bell dinged and the doors opened. "That is why our old methods of handling bio-emergences have changed. We can no longer terminate wild ones unless they pose an immediate threat."

"That shouldn't be a problem since _almost_ everyone we've faced from the digital world has tried to kill us!" Terriermon exclaimed, his ears perking up with anxiety.

Once inside the elevator car, Yamaki took out his ID card and scanned it on the panel. "Mitsuo Yamaki, 25217715208."

* * *

Upon descending down the initial shaft, a secret compartment opened allowing them access to the hidden lower levels. "The upper floors are our R & D labs, where Henry and Suzie's father will be working along with the rest of his colleagues, the medical wing, etc. This, however…" Yamaki pressed a button on the console which lowered all four side panels, revealing an outer Plexiglas shell and the destination. "…is D.A.T.A. central command."

Before them, as they continued to descend, stood a stadium sized room filled with a number of catwalks leading to unknown areas, multiple computers of all different sizes, numerous workers doing their jobs and a set of stairs directly across from the elevator itself that lead to the main control room. "This place is incredible. How far underground are we?"

"We're precisely one mile beneath the surface." He promptly answered Takato's question. "It's safe, secure and well hidden. Even if Myotismon found out where this place was our new safety protocols will prevent any attempt made to infiltrate or attack this base. For instance: the entire building above is protected by a data barrier. No digital being can enter without being registered in the system, which is why I took the liberty of clearing all of you already."

After exiting the lift, Yamaki led them up a long staircase and into the main control room which was considerably smaller than the previous one but far more advanced and accessible. Tally, now equipped with her own work station, spun around in her chair to greet everybody. "So, how do you guys like the new place? It's cool, right?"

"Tally…is the D.I. System up and running yet?" Her boss interrupted, trying to keep her mind on business.

"Not yet, sir…" She spun around, returning to her post with haste. "There are still some bugs that need to be worked out. It should be up and running by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

"D.I. System?" Takato inquired while Guilmon began to wander off without detection.

Yamaki nodded to Riley who typed in several prompts on the keyboard in front of her. "The D.I. stands for Digi Identification. Once operational we will be able to identify any digimon we need to, including the ones scanned by your digivices."

"Speaking of which, does anyone know who that _little_ twerp was at Suzie's party?" All of the smaller digimon in the room shot Ryan a sarcastic glance. "Ha…sorry…no offense to you guys. Kazu, Kenta, you guys are like the digimon encyclopedia. I'm sure one of you two must have recognized him."

They both shook their heads, and Kenta answered, "Sorry. Neither one of us have ever seen that guy before today."

"Listen…until we can figure out the identity of that digimon, I need all of you to assume that we haven't seen the last of him." The statement put all of the tamers on edge, worse than they had already felt. "From what we know and have learned about Myotismon I'd gather that the clown not trying to destroy you was part of a _much _bigger plan. For now, feel free to walk around and explore the base. You'll all be working here for the foreseeable future."

Calumon looked to his left and right while being held in Jeri's arms. "Where'd Guilmon go?"

A check of the monitors by Riley showed that Guilmon was at the buffet in the cafeteria scarfing down as much as he could stomach. "The lunch room…of course…goggle-head, you want to put a leash on your dinosaur before he eats every bit of food in this place?"

"Ha, ha….right…" Takato replied and hurried down the steps to locate his partner.

* * *

While the others began to tour the base, Ryan pulled Renamon aside to talk. "Listen, I was just wondering if you'd like to come to the dojo in Fox Hollow tomorrow. I know I mentioned that my sensei hired me to manage it but he's going to let me assist him in instructing a class for younger kids. I thought you'd like to check it out. And you can even bring Rika along if she'd like to come. You would just have to keep a low profile, of course."

"I would be honored." Renamon closed her eyes and bowed her head forward. "Let us just hope that what happened today doesn't repeat itself tomorrow."

"I doubt it. I've never seen clowns do karate before. Ha!" Even the vixen found some humor in his joke and chuckled a bit. "Besides, after today's _two_ fiascos, I don't think anything in either world could top it."

_Idiot! Why would you even say that!? Oh, I hope I didn't just jinx myself…but knowing my luck…_

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay everyone. Been kind of busy the last few days. Here's an interesting tidbit: Yamaki's number password has a hidden meaning. See if you can decipher it. **


	3. Master Of Disaster

**Sorry for the delay between chapters. I'll try to be more quick without rushing the story itself. Not to mention I haven't been sleeping well. But I did graduate from College with a degree in Liberal Arts-Literature Concentration (*Applause*). Enjoy the chapter everyone!**

* * *

It was a partly cloudy Saturday morning in Fox Hollow and Ryan's first day as an apprentice to his sensei. He, along with Rika and an invisible Renamon in tow, promptly entered the dojo on arrival. "Thanks for being here, both of you. I'm _really _nervous, which is kind of funny since I've faced death more than a dozen times in the last month at the hands of digital monsters and here I am worried about teaching a group of kids karate."

"There's no reason for you to worry" Renamon appeared while the three of them were all alone in the hallway. "Just believe in yourself, do your best and everything will be fine. Not to mention we're here for you."

"She's right. Besides, your instructor gave you this opportunity for a reason. And _we've_ seen firsthand why." Rika added, trying to boost his waning confidence.

Then the sounds of footsteps approaching forced the fox to disappear in a hurry. Takeo Tsukino, Ryan's karate teacher, rounded the corner mere seconds later and seemed quite relieved that he had arrived. "Ah, you are here. I was starting to worry. It is nearly time for the class to begin. And you've brought a friend I see."

"Yes, Sensei, this is Rika. I was wondering, would be alright for her to observe the class while I assist you today?" Ryan asked, bowing in the process to show his karate master respect.

"Of course…" His answer put the teen at ease. "…but you won't be _assisting _me in teaching the class. _You _will be teaching while I am out running some errands."

All of the color in his face flushed out leaving him looking pale as a ghost. It took nearly a minute for the reality that he would be instructing a class by himself to settle in and to find words to express his anxiety. "But…Sensei I… I don't think I'm ready or even _qualified_ to do something like teach martial arts."

"You are. For over three years I have had the privilege of watching you grow into one of the most outstanding individuals I have ever known." Hearing that kind of a compliment, from a man he respected more than anyone else, immediately brightened his mood. "I recall when we first met how frustrated, impulsive and confused you were. Over time you learned to control your feelings and find a balance that would normally take many a lifetime to achieve. I am very proud of you, young one."

"Thank you, Sensei. And I would be honored to pass on what I've learned from you to others."

Sensei Tsukino smiled and then bowed to his student. "The class that you will be instructing is beginners. Get to know them and then start with the basics. I will return in a few hours for the noon class."

Renamon reappeared the moment that he left the building. "He's very honorable and seems to hold you in high regard."

"Tell me about it. I don't know where I'd be without his guidance." Ryan reached into his gym bag, took out the black belt inside and just stared at it. "A couple of months before I went to the digital world, I enrolled in this same class that I'm in charge of today. Back then I was struggling to control my emotions, _much_ worse than I am these days. Through his teachings, and advice, I was able to calm my mind tremendously. Don't get me wrong, I still have those same problems but I've gotten a better handle on them. I owe that man a debt I can never repay."

Rika glanced at the clock on the wall which read 8.A.M. on the dot. "It's time for you to get in there. Renamon and I will be right here. Good luck."

* * *

Entering the dojos main room, he was met with the stare of almost nearly a dozen boys and girls ranging in age from eight to twelve. _Oh, boy…here goes nothing_. "Good morning. My name is Ryan. Before we begin with the class I'd like to ask you some questions and if you have any for me please feel free to do so." A young man wearing thick black glasses, with white tape around the bridge, raised his hand. "Yes?"

"Are we going to learn how to fight someone bigger than us?" The boy inquired, adjusting his glasses which were slipping down his nose a tad.

"I'm glad you asked that because it brings me to _my_ first question: how many of you joined this karate school because you're being bullied? Raise your hands." All of them did, some faster than others. "Well…let me start off by saying that if you signed up to learn how to _fight_, you're in the wrong place. Martial Arts aren't meant to do harm to others. Believe it or not, they're taught so that you don't have to."

"Why did you want to learn karate?" A female student asked, sitting next to the boy with glasses.

"To be honest, at first it was the same reason that…" Ryan looked at the name tag on the uniform of the boy with glasses. "…Timmy alluded to. I was being picked on by the same group of guys for a few years so I came here hoping to learn how to do to them what they had done to me. But, thanks to Sensei John…" Looking up and behind the group at the viewing window, he spied Renamon standing next to Rika, who was sitting down at the time, and smiled. "…and another good friend of mine, I realized that I was better than that. So are all of you. You don't need to lower yourself to their level. It's okay to defend yourself but _only_ when you're given _absolutely_ no other choice in the matter."

* * *

Aurumon relayed all of this back to Myotismon's dungeon where he and his two cohorts were all gathered together. "You heard the human…let's give him _no choice_."

Devimon grinned, eagerly anticipating the mayhem that was to come and having a front row seat for it.

"Your wish is my command, my master." Dracmon replied, starting to concentrate intensely.

Renamon, who was continuing to observe the class along with her tamer, suddenly seized her head, fell to her knees and began groaning loudly as if in excruciating pain. "Renamon…!? What is it, what's wrong!?"

_Destroy your tamer and friend! Destroy them, now! Destroy! Destroy! Destroy! _The vixen, like a puppet on a string, slowly rose back to a vertical base. Her once blue eyes were now tinted crimson as she stared Rika down with ferocious intent, striking fear into the tamers heart for the very first time, before advancing towards her menacingly.

To Rika it all seemed surreal. Her digimon and most trusted ally had become an enemy in less than a minute. "This can't be happening. Not you…please, _not you_…"

She was cornered now with no chance of escaping. The fox raised a single paw in the air, about to deliver a killing blow, until it was grabbed but Ryan. "Renamon, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" His answer came in the form of the other paw swiping for his head which he ducked, grabbed with his other hand and then shoved her against the wall. "Come on, snap out of it!"

There was no response. Only silence. The vulpine then phase shifted out of his grasp leaving him bewildered. "Look out!"

Rika's warning came too late as he was grabbed by his gi and thrown head first through the glass into the middle of class, frightening the children who screamed then froze as they watched their teacher groan while trying to get up.

"Ryan! Ryan, are you hurt!?" Rika asked while assisting him back to a vertical base as Renamon came rounding the corner, still focused on finishing them off.

"I'll be fine…just…" Due to the head trauma he'd sustained, the room felt as if it was spinning. "...get the kids out of here…"

"I know what you're thinking but you can't! You're in no shape to try! Not to mention she'll rip you to shreds!" Her pleas, although more for his benefit rather than the digimon's, fell on deaf ears.

"Get…them…out of here…now!" Ryan yelled, shoving Rika aside before she finally did as he asked, gathered up all the students and ushered them out the back door into the parking lot of the building. "Listen to me, Renamon…you're strong. Don't let whoever's controlling your mind force you to do something that you'll regret. You can fight it!"

Renamon rushed forward with a claw swipe followed by a series of kicks that Ryan was able to dodge. He knew her style well enough to counter just about every move she could think of using. For several minutes the fought a nearly even battle but eventually the injury, including the lack of stamina, energy and power that a digimon possessed, proved to be too much as she swept the legs before pressing a foot down on his throat.

Struggling to break free and for air, Ryan felt himself blacking out. The color in his face turned a light purplish blue the longer he was asphyxiated. Any more pressure would most certainly have crushed his entire neck.

"Stop it, you're killing him!" Rika reappeared and jumped onto her partner's back, desperately trying to save her friends life but was thrown across the dojo for the effort. Things were looking very grim until she was seized again and shoved away by Sensei John who had returned earlier than scheduled.

_That's enough for now, Renamon. Get out of there at once!_ Following Dracmon's telepathic command the fox leapt up and out the skylight above.

"Are you alright?" Sensei Tsukino inquired, picking his pupil up off the floor. "What is going on and what was that strange creature?"

"I'm okay but there's really no time to give you all the details right now. Let's just say that it's not good." Rika motioned toward the door to tell Ryan that they both needed to leave immediately. "Listen, the kids are all safe. They're in the parking lot. I promise I'll explain the entire situation to you later but, forgive me; right now I have to go take care of this. Other lives might be in danger as well."

Placing a hand on the teens shoulder, Sensei Tsukino replied in an understanding manner, "Go and do what you have to do."

"Thank you. Come on!" Ryan exclaimed to the female tamer as they hurried out the front door and ran up the block. "We've got to get the D.T.D. and get back to Shinjuku! I have a bad feeling that Renamon's not the only digital monster about to go psycho!"

"What are you talking about!?" Rika exclaimed, trying to understand what he meant.

"Whatever happened to Renamon had to do with what that clown did at Suzie's party yesterday! I know it! And if she's been affected…" It was then that Rika understood what he was getting at. "…so have the other digimon!"

* * *

In the meantime, Suzie was busy having a make believe tea party with Terriermon and Lopmon as the guests in her room while Henry did homework in his own. Neither of the two seemed quite happy as they thought she would have grown out of playing pretend and by now. "Would you like one lump or two in your tea, Princess Pretty Pants?"

Lopmon, dressed in the same wardrobe her counterpart once wore, looking more miserable than she'd ever been. "What did I do to deserve this?"

Terriermon was about to respond when he stiffened up like a board, staring blankly ahead at the wall. _Listen to me and do as you are told…Myotismon wants your partner eliminated! Destroy him, immediately! _

"Hey, where are you going? We didn't even have our crumpet yet." Suzie complained as he got up and made his way over to Henry's door, pushing it open ever so gently as to not alert him.

From the corner of his eye, Henry spotted Terriermon standing idle in the doorway. "Oh, hey… is Queen Suzie getting to you _this _soon? You used to be able to put up with her for hours?" No response. "Uh…are you…feeling alright, Terriermon?" The expression on the rabbits face went from blank to one of rage in a heartbeat. "…_Terriermon?_"

Opening his mouth, a green energy began to form which Henry knew was his partner's Bunny Blast attack that he'd seen used against countless enemies and was now aimed directly at him!

* * *

**Just to let everyone know...I'll be updating as usual until February 3rd. I'm going on a cruise until the 8th so there won't be any updates until I get back. Hopefully I can finish up this story by then and move onto the next! Cause after that one, we find out who Ryan's partner is! Dun! Dun! Dun!**


	4. Dino Crisis

"Bunny Blast…!" Henry dove out of the way just in and hit the floor as the attack destroyed his computer before travelling right through the wall, leaving behind a gaping hole in its wake.

Suzie had become startled by the noise while Lopmon, sensing that something was amiss, tore off the decorative clothing put on by her tamer, ran towards the door and into the hall. "Stay in the room and close the door until I come back!"

Henry dove behind his bed as another attack whizzed by, taking out the nearby window. "If this is about you having to entertain Suzie there are easier ways to get my attention. Next time I have homework you can stay in here? Okay?"

"What's going on in here?" Terriermon spun around as his counterpart appeared and fired at her mercilessly, missing the target by a _small_ margin. "Blazing Ice…!" The freezing wind generated by Lopmon sent him sailing out of the hole and off into the night sky. "What happened? Why did he attack you?"

"I don't know." Henry's cellphone, which survived the mini-war, rang while caller id displayed Rika's number. He answered, putting the call on speakerphone. "Perfect timing…you're not going to believe what just happened."

"Oh, no…" She already knew what he meant. "…Terriermon and Lopmon attacked you and your sister?"

"No, just Terriermon…Lopmon just saved my life." Henry replied, taking a seat on his bed.

Ryan opened the door to his house and locked the door even though it would do little to protect them from their own problem. "Listen, Renamon just tried to off us both at the dojo. All the digimon are under some sort of mind control. Rika and I just got back to my place. We're going to use my DTD to come help but in the meantime you have to call the others and warn them before they find out the hard way. Come find us at D.A.T.A. afterwards."

* * *

_Half an Hour Later…_

Takato was sitting in his living room watching television when a call came in over the bakery's land line. He got up off the couch and hurried over to the stairwell where the phone was located before picking it up. "Matsuki residence…"

"It's me…" The vague answer was due to the fact that he'd be recognized by the sound of his voice "…is Guilmon there with you?"

"Henry?" Takato asked, equally concerned as confused. "No, Guilmon's at the park. He wanted to spend a night in his old hideout so I let him. You sound completely out breath. You okay?"

A slight sense of relief came from the goggle clad tamers response. "I'm fine but our digimon aren't. Renamon tried to kill Ryan and Rika while they were in Fox Hollow and Terriermon just turned my bedroom into a war zone. They think the one from yesterday did something to make them turn on us. And I just finished talking with Yamaki. He got in touch with everyone else to see if anything happened and _all _of their partners disappeared: Guardramon, MarineAngemon, Impmon, and even Calumon, just vanished around the same time. I think you should get out of there and get to D.A.T.A. just in case Guilmon…" The line clicks followed immediately by a busy tone. "Takato…? Takato…!"

"Ouch! That smarts!" Ryan exclaimed as Doctor Isha, the same physician who took care of him when he was injured by Devimon, finished wrapping a bandage around his head. "Well, doc, what's the verdict? Am I going to be alright?"

"Fortunately these injuries are nowhere near as serious as the ones you suffered several weeks ago." He referenced the battle in downtown Shinjuku that nearly cost the teen his life. "Just some minor bruising and a mild concussion…" Taking off his medical gloves and tossing them in the red bin marked Hazardous Waste. "…other than that you're in perfect health. I'd advise you to take it easy for a few days, though I doubt that will happen."

Yamaki entered the room as the doctor exited. "I want to know _exactly_ what happened."

"Oh, I'm okay…" Ryan pointed up to the dressing around his skull. "…thanks for your concern. You spoke with Rika, right?"

"I did but I want to hear it from you as well. That's why it's called a debriefing." Yamaki replied while maintaining his overbearing demeanor. "Remember, you're an agent of D.A.T.A. And I'm in charge. So if I ask you to tell me something, I expect an answer. Not sarcasm. Understood?"

"Look…I know you don't like me for some reason but I just got thrown through a plate glass window, in case you hadn't heard. My head is killing me. I don't feel like talking." Expressing his frustration with how he was being treated. "Show me a paycheck then you can start calling yourself my boss."

Yamaki produces a white envelope with the teenager's name on it. "I wanted to give this to you personally instead of mailing it all the way to the states." He handed it over to Ryan who opened it with great suspicion. His jaw dropped after looking at the check inside. "Did you really think that a secret government organization with nearly unlimited funding wouldn't pay its _operatives_ for their work?"

"Is this in U.S. dollars?" Yamaki nodded with a smirk. "I was teaching my class when Renamon lost her mind then tried to get rid of Rika and me. I think that digimon who crashed Suzie's party is responsible. We just have to identify him now."

Rika burst into the room with an urgent aura about her. "Takato's in trouble! Come on!"

Ryan jumped off the table, grabbed his coat and hurried out of the room followed closely by Yamaki. "Wait up! The two of you are going to need a ride!"

* * *

Almost fifteen minutes passed before they reached the Matsuki's bakery only to discover that the back door had been literally blown off its hinges. The smell of burnt wood along with a hint of bread lingered in the air. There was no power in the entire building either which made things all the more eerie.

Rika, flashlight in hand, tried to proceed inside but was stopped. "Wait. Renamon isn't here to protect you and we don't know what _was_ or _is_ still in there. I'll call one of our Military Units. I can have them here in minutes."

"Takato may not have that long." Ryan took the flashlight. "I'll go in…_alone_. Just wait here."

Yamaki, knowing there was no way to stop him, tossed the teen a small, black walkie-talkie. "I want you to radio in everything you see. If you get into trouble just get out of there as quick as you can. The van's still running if we need to make a quick exit just in case, so warn us should that be necessary."

Ryan quietly agreed and entered the darkened bakery upon which he stepped in numerous spilt ingredients. "Someone made a real mess in here." The store itself seemed relatively untouched so he continued on, slowly making his way up the creaky stairwell. "I'm heading upstairs into the Matsuki's apartment now." The small beam of light illuminated the kitchen and living room. "It looks like a tornado came through. Their couch is all ripped up, there's random stuff lying all over the floor, other furniture is overturned…this doesn't look good." A thumping noise came from down the hall, prompting him to investigate. "I heard something. I'm going to check it out."

Tiptoeing towards Takato's bedroom door which was slightly opened, creaking as it moved ever so slightly, Ryan began to feel strange. As if there were hidden dangers nearby. He jumped back a second before the wood was incinerated.

Guilmon, his eyes constricting heavily, emerged from the room but could see no one in sight.

"Yamaki, its Guilmon. He's lost it just like the other digimon." Ryan whispered into the receiver, hiding in Takehiro and Yoshie's bedroom. "I'm going to wait until he moves and then make a break for the door. Oh, and don't answer because he'll…" A claw broke through the door right next to his head. "…Find me!"

Thinking on his feet he quickly barricaded the door by moving the nearby dresser against it. _That's not going to hold for long! I've got to get out of here, fast!_

"Hey!" Takato's voice came out of nowhere. Scanning the room for where it had originated from he spotted the tamer up in the attic. "Come on, hurry!"

Ryan jumped, grabbed onto the edge of the opening and pulled himself up as Guilmon broke through. They then sealed up the attic but were only delaying the inevitable. "Glad to see you in one piece. We thought the worst. Where are your parents?"

"They went out to the movies. I already sent them a text warning them not to come here." Below the duo could hear the dinosaur digimon moving around the room. "He's going to find our scent soon and there's no way out of here other than down. I can't believe I was stupid enough to hide up here in the first place. What was I thinking?"

Takato was telling the truth. There were no exits or openings save for the small fan used to allow air flow. "Wait." Ryan started running his hand along the slanted wall. "When was the last time your dad had to patch or repair the roof?"

"A couple months ago, I think. Why?" Failing to understand the question's reasoning.

"Because, there may be a weak spot where we can break through…it's our only chance." He kept touching different places until he located an area where the wood felt less sturdy. "Here!" Both started kicking the spot where indicated and were relieved when it began to crumble. "Just a bit more…"

Guilmon's attention turned up, having found the scent of his former allies. "Pyro-Sphere...!"

Another door destroyed. Impacting the attic's ceiling with tremendous force before the reptile digimon used his strength to jump up inside, though Ryan and Takato were already gone having left behind a sizeable hole. "Do you think he's following us?"

Several more blasts came through the roof, missing them by inches as they ran across trying to get away. "Does that answer your question? Yamaki, we're being chased across the rooftops by Guilmon! We need help!

* * *

Back at the van, Yamaki, with Rika in the passenger seat, started the van and followed them by honing in on the signal emitted by their digivices. "What are we going to do? Without partners to protect them, they'll be…" She couldn't bear to finish such a dreadful thought. "I wish Renamon were here…"

A car behind them began flashing its headlights at them and pulled up alongside the van as it came to a stop.

"I'm glad we caught you." Janyu rolled down the window, his son sitting opposite from him and Suzie sitting in the backseat with Lopmon. "We came to see if we could help but why were you driving so fast?"

"Guilmon's gone rogue just like the others. He's chasing Takato and Ryan across the building tops as we speak. Follow us from behind!"

* * *

Several blocks away, the boys had come to the end of the line. There was nowhere left to go and it was too far to jump. Guilmon had them cornered once more. "We've got two options: stay here and get turned into Tamer Hibachi or jump and either break every bone in our bodies or be killed on impact. Not exactly how I imagined biting it." A simple yet risky idea struck. "Takato try breaking through to him. You're his tamer, you created him."

"Didn't Rika try that with Renamon?" He asked, wondering just how much good that would do.

"We're toast no matter what happens." Noting how hopeless the situation was. "It's worth a shot. What have we got to lose?"

Guilmon was breathing heavily. Mist was coming from his nostrils. He looked like a bull getting ready to charge its prey.

Takato bravely stepped forward despite being downright more nervous than he'd ever been. "It's me, boy…your best friend. I created you. Remember when we first met? How scared I was that you were going to hurt me? But you didn't."

Memories of that day came flooding back into the digimon's mind. He recalled that exact day in particular: being shoved into a cardboard box, brought home to his tamers room, following him to school the next day and making the promise that he'd stay out of trouble so they could play. "Ta...kato?"

"Yeah..! I knew you could do it!" Takato exclaimed happily, believing the ordeal was over.

_No! Do not listen to the humans! They are your enemy! You must destroy them both! Do it! _

Guilmon struggled to maintain control over his mind and body but alas was no match for the influence of Dracmon. "Rock Breaker..!"

Takato fell backwards to avoid the attack, rolled down the slanted roof and would have fallen but managed to grab ahold of a gutter.

"Hang on! I'm coming!" Ryan attempted to help but was stopped by the reptile, being backed closer and closer to the edge. _This is not good. If there was ever a time for my partner to show his face, now would be it. _"I know you can hear this, whoever you are. Don't think for a second that getting rid of me is going to stop my friends from destroying you in the end. And if you thought _I _was going down without a fight, think again!"

"Tiny Twister...!" Lopmon's attack blew Guilmon right off the roof, into a garbage dumpster, effectively knocking him unconscious for the moment.

"Help…!" As Takato lost his grip, Ryan grabbed his arm and pulled him to safety. "Thanks."

Yamaki and Janyu carefully approached the trash receptacle where they found the Guilmon muttering "Peanut-Butter" and "Bread" to himself repeatedly, his eyes swirling like whirlpools. "We need to get him back to D.A.T.A. before he snaps out of it. Hopefully we can figure out who's doing this and how to stop it before we end up with casualties."

* * *

Renamon, Terriermon, Impmon, Guardramon, MarineAngemon and Calumon were all lined up behind Dracmon in Myotismon's dungeon, standing completely motionless, awaiting further commands. "They managed to survive and capture the dinosaur. No matter. This is still going to be quite an _ironic_ victory. The digidestined, destroyed by the very digimon meant to protect them."

Devimon's facial expression told a story all its own. _I should be the one who gets to destroy the humans! Me! Not some little pipsqueak whose only power is to get others to fight his battles for him! Just this once, I hope those kids rip that little twerp limb from limb!_

Myotismon's throne spun from his viewing crystal to face his new troops. "The time has come to put an end to those troublesome children…_permanently_."

* * *

**Yes it's true! Ryan and the tamers are all getting money for what they do on a daily basis! How awesome is that? Fight evil Digimon, save the world and get paid. Man, if only...**


	5. Dracmon's Gambit

Guilmon was sedated and strapped down to a table as the laboratory's digital scanner passed over his body several times, relaying the results to the computers in the nearby control booth where Janyu and Dolphin could interpret the incoming data in an attempt to diagnose why the tamers digimon were trying to destroy them.

Takato watched painfully through the window as his partner was examined, placing his palm tenderly against the glass. _Don't worry, boy. You'll be fine in no time. I promise._

* * *

Meanwhile, in the main control room, Riley and Tally had finally managed to get the D.I. system up and running, allowing them access to all of the known digital monsters in the database. "That should do it. Now we can identify that creature from the party and hopefully figure out just what he's up to."

Images of numerous different digimon ranging in shape, size and type flashed across the monitor in a slideshow format. "Stop..! Go back a few frames." Tally halted the program at Ryan's behest and went backwards manually. "There! That's him!" Dracmon's dastardly image, as depicted on his modify card, stared everyone directly in the face along with a bio. "Dracmon...rookie, virus type…special attack: Eye of Nightmare."

"So they've all been hypnotized to obey his will…" Yamaki flicked his zippo lighter open and shut, worried about how to solve such a unique problem.

"Not _all_. Lopmon's the only one who _seems_ to have been unaffected…" Henry interjected and noted how his little sister's digimon was still on their side. "…but why?"

"The glasses…" Everyone turned to Ryan. "…don't you remember? Suzie made Lopmon wear a party hat and funny glasses." No one seemed to get what he was getting at. "It's just like in Men in Black. K and J wear sunglasses when they use the neuralyzer to protect their own memories from being erased. I think the glasses she was wearing shielded her from the Eye of Nightmare's effects. And who says TV rots your brain, huh?"

Yamaki was about to comment when the intercom began sounding with a call from the labs. "Janyu, have you and Dolphin completed the tests? What did you find?"

"It's not good." Nobody was prepared to hear more bad news. "There's a rogue algorithm that's embedded in the Eye of Nightmare that gives it the ability to control other digimon's minds. I'm afraid the only way to free them from its influence…is to destroy Dracmon."

The transmission ended just before a wave of disappointment overcame the entire room. Their jobs had just gotten all the more difficult. "Things just keep getting better and better, don't they? Not only do we have to destroy him but we only have one digimon left on our side. By the way, anyone get in touch with Ryo? We could sure use Monodramon."

"He's with his parents visiting relatives out of the country. There's no chance he would get here in time to help, though I did warn him about what's going on and he's going to keep his guard up just in case. " Riley replied, having already made that phone call. "Just out of curiosity, why are the digimon only after you three and Takato but none of the others?"

"Most likely because we pose the biggest threat to Myotismon's plans. Not to mention we're the only ones who have the ability to bio-merge besides Ryo." Henry took a seat at a nearby table. "I think he wants us out of the way first before he goes after the rest."

"The only reason he's trying to get rid of me, the partner-less digimon tamer, is because he has a three year old grudge he wants settled." Ryan also sat down and took a sip of soda. "I defeated him once, screwed up his master plan to plunge the worlds into darkness and sent him into a dimensional prison. Guess I'd be angry, too." He looked on one of the nearby camera monitors and saw Henry's sister throwing a temper tantrum. "Speaking of which, I think someone better go let Lopmon out of lockdown ASAP."

* * *

Suzie continued to huff, puff and tear up the longer she was separated from her partner who was sitting in a cell like room with an energy barrier to prevent any chance of escape. "I want my bunny back! I want my bunny back! I WANT MY BUNNY BACK!"

A lone guard standing nearby was covering his ears when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. "I'll take it from here." Mr. Wong walked over to his daughter to calm her down. "Just take it easy, sweetie. We just had to be sure that Lopmon didn't pose any threat to you or us which is why she was put in there. I'm going to let her out now. Okay?"

Suzie's frown turned right upside down while she literally jumped for joy, watching as her father used the access code to lower the field and reunite her with Lopmon whom was grabbed into the expected bear hug. "Yay, I've got my bunny back!"

"I'm glad to see you, too, but I can't breathe." Suzie released her grip to provide some breathing room for the tiny digimon.

Janyu smiled, seeing how happy his child had gotten in an instant. Though the moment was short lived when the alarm when the base's emergency alarm went off. "What's happening, daddy..?"

"I'm not sure, pumpkin. We'd better get back to the control room and find out. Come on!"

* * *

Riley and Tally pulled up a video feed from just outside of the building via street level where the tamers mind controlled digimon, led by Dracmon himself, were causing mass chaos in Shinjuku. "I revoked their access earlier so they won't be able to enter the base thanks to the digital barrier we have in place."

"Yeah but they're going to hurt someone _and_ destroy the city if we don't do something to stop them." Rika exclaimed, unable to locate her own partner. "Wait. Where's Renamon?"

"Waiting for me I'll bet." Ryan interjected, somewhat afraid to finish the thought. "Myotismon knows that she and I have a history together, not to mention how I feel about her. So, while the rest of them focus on you, Henry and Takato I'll have my own personal "hit-Mon" whom I couldn't bring myself to hurt which is exactly what he's banking on." The destruction of an entire city block continued. "We have to go out there."

Tally twisted her chair around and gave the teen a shocked, sarcastic stare. "Are you kidding? Guilmon's out of commission. You'd have one rookie digimon going up against two rookies, a champion, a mega and, that cute little cream puff, Calumon. And with Dracmon out there now, he'll use the Eye of Nightmare again to take control of Lopmon's mind leaving all of you utterly defenseless."

The rest of the group all appeared at the top of the stairs. Ryan's focus immediately went to the goggles on Takato's head. "Not necessarily."

* * *

Vehicles were on fire, melting like candles. Entire store fronts demolished. And hundreds of people, scrambling to escape from the destruction while fearing for their lives. Nowhere in the immediate area was safe, save for the heavily armored D.A.T.A. "They are sure to come out of hiding soon enough to protect their world and all of these humans. And when they do, that will be the end of the digidestined…forever!"

"Don't be so sure about that." Dracmon's attention turned to the roof of the building where Takato, Henry, Rika and Suzie all stood united. "You see, you may have _most_ of our friends on your side at the moment. But we've got a secret weapon…" Henry pointed up as Antylamon appeared, standing over them, and then looked at his sister. "…the two of you are our only hope. You can do it."

"We won't let you down, right Suzie?" The tiny tamer happily nodded and held up her digivice.

* * *

Yamaki, still in the control room monitoring the video feed, did a quick double take when he noticed that Ryan, who'd been standing just to his right, had disappeared entirely. "Great."

* * *

In a few short minutes Ryan had managed to make his way up over a dozen city blocks and was standing in the middle of a busy sidewalk with men, women and children going about their daily lives, unaware of the danger happening not too far away.

Through most of the crowd he caught glimpses of Renamon watching him, disappearing and reappearing in different places.

Fortunately, nobody else was aware of her presence which meant another mass panic could be avoided. _That's right…just keep following me. Got to get you some place where no one can see us, hear us or get hurt_. Signs for Shinjuku's warehouse district, including the docks, pointed Ryan in the direction he needed to go. _Perfect_.

* * *

"So, I missed one? No matter…Eye of Nightmare!" Again Dracmon's signature attack was used creating a brilliant flash of light. "Now, Antylamon, I command you…finish them!"

"I don't take orders from you. That's what I have my tamer for. And I'd never hurt her…ever!"

Her response shocked the virus digimon, who couldn't believe that she didn't become his willing servant like the rest. "This is not possible! Your mind should be mine to bend to my will! How did you…?"

"My friend Takato here was generous enough to loan me his goggles, which like the glasses I was wearing at the party, keep me safe from falling victim to your hypnotic suggestion!"

"Clever…but you'll still have to contend with the rest of your former allies. Meanwhile, I sense my presence is required elsewhere." Dracmon waved his hand in the air, creating a dark portal. "Good luck."

"No!" Henry yelled, watching as the only chance they had to break the spell vanished before their eyes. "We've got to destroy him in order to free them. Now what do we do?"

Rika's cell phone rang and, despite the bad timing, answered but couldn't get a word in. "Ryan's left the base. My guess is since Renamon is _only_ after him he's trying to lure her away from all of you. But we've got a lock on his D-Power. It looks like he's headed for an abandoned portion of the warehouse district. Meet us down in the parking garage as fast as you can."

The call came to an abrupt end as Rika, thinking about what Dracmon just said, came to startling realization about where he was going.

* * *

Renamon materialized outside of a desolate, run down building directly across from the water. There were neither signs of life nor any boats. It was the equivalent of a ghost town. She walked to the edge of the concrete dock, looking down at the water crashing against it, searching for her target.

"Are you looking for me?" The vixen's ears perked up. She spun around to find Ryan standing about twenty feet away and slowly approaching. "Here I am." She tilted her head slightly. "After all we've been through and survived, if you could _really_ and _truly_ bring yourself to hurt me then do it. I won't run, hide or fight back. But deep down, I know the _real _Renamon is still in there. And I know that you're stronger than this. Dracmon may be able to influence your mind..." He came close enough to place a hand on her chest. "…but he could never control your heart."

Ryan closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable, as she raised her sharp claw which went ablaze with blue fire. Balling up her fist and bringing one arm back she punched, stopping the attack an inch from the teens face. "No…I…can't…harm…him….I…won't!"

For a brief moment, it looked as if Renamon was coming back to her senses until the dark portal appeared followed closely by Dracmon. "Oh, yes you will!" The eyes in his palms, as well as his own, began glowing red and green which had an adverse effect on the vulpine, giving him an even stronger hold on her. "Do as I say! Destroy him now! DO IT!"

Renamon seized Ryan by his jacket then threw him backwards through the warehouse's main window which was enough to finally break the spell. "No!" Before she could see if he was alive or even attempt a rescue the entire structure, due to its age, collapsed entirely. "What have I done?"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! You may have regained control over your mind but it's all for naught. Soon all of the digidestined will suffer the same fate as your companion. Myotismon has won!" Sounds of metal clanging together and debris being moved about brought the celebration to an abrupt end. "Huh?" Both digimon could make out a silhouette walking towards them from inside a cloud of dust kicked up when the building fell. "Inconceivable! No mere human could have survived that! It's not possible!"

Neither digimon expected anyone to come away from such destruction in one piece…or _who_ it was that stepped into view moments later.

* * *

*****SPOILER ALERT!*** This is it! Ryan's partner will be revealed in the next chapter and make partial appearances until he completely joins the team in either story number six or seven!**


	6. A Partner Appears

_Fifteen Minutes Earlier…_

Just after Rika's departure, due to Yamaki's phone call, Antylamon jumped from the roof and landed in the middle of the partially demolished street where she was surrounded by the same digimon that had fought by her side against the D-Reaper, Locomon and now Myotismon's forces. _No matter what they do, I have to keep them alive until Dracmon is destroyed. I just hope either Ryan or Rika, wherever they went, have a plan to do just that._

The Crystal Matrix started glowing, which Takato was the first and only one to notice. "Uh-oh, I think Calumon's getting ready to help them digivolve! If that happens, she really won't stand a chance!"

A D.A.T.A. van, driven by Yamaki himself, split the offense while Rika leaned out the window and grabbed Calumon before the two sped off down the road. "Oh! She must've thought of the same thing you did and got him out of here before he could use Shining Digivolution on our digimon! Now all Antylamon has to do is keep them busy while the others locate and destroy Dracmon!"

"Takato, we need you down here!" Mr. Wong's voice was coming from the com inside of his digivice. "It's Guilmon! He's regained consciousness and is trying to break free from the room we were examining him in! Please, hurry!"

"Go. We'll handle this." Takato took his friends advice and make a quick exit just as Henry knelt down to talk with his sister. "Everything will be fine. Just remember what we talked about."

Looking down, Suzie could tell that the fight was about to begin. And for the first time she was not on the sidelines watching or unable to help. It was hers and Antylamon's time to shine. "Ok." She reached into her coat pocket and took out several modification cards. "Digi-modify…! Radiant Force, activate!"

A purple aura formed, encasing the former deva's body with its energy. "Side by side, we'll win this and get our friends back!"

* * *

Back inside of the base, Takato arrived back at the lab to discover that Guilmon had broken out of his restraints and was roaming the base looking for him.

Upon backtracking to the hallway a Pyro-Sphere missed him by mere inches sending the tamer scurrying into an adjacent laboratory seeking a place to hide where he was pulled behind a desk by Mr. Wong. "It's me. Sorry if I scared you. He broke loose right after my call. I managed to keep him isolated to this wing. Now that you're here he won't leave but we need to incapacitate him somehow. If only I could get to the tranquilizer gun…"

"Where is it?" Takato asked, trying to remain quiet as the sounds of footsteps were approaching.

"We keep several of them in the lab's main hub up the stairs from where you came in in case of emergencies like this. The only problem is Guilmon's got us both trapped. And he'd see us if we tried to make a run for it."

Thinking back to being trapped in the attic alongside Ryan, Takato looked up at the ceiling tiles. _I hope this turns out better than my last brilliant idea._

* * *

Renamon was frozen with shock while Dracmon backed up in sheer disbelief by what he saw.

Emerging from the remaining unsettled dust and the last amounts of debris, standing a few short yards away, was another Renamon with snowy white fur, solid black gloves, both bearing yin-yang symbols, icy blue eyes and a look on his face that had several elements to it: seriousness mixed with a hint of anger yet calm and focused just like the vixen's. Ultimately he was ready, and somewhat eager, to do battle.

"Another one...!? Where'd he come from!?..." There was no answer to be given, by either fox. "Humph…what am I worried for? One look at my attack and he'll be just another puppet on a string I can use to destroy _you_! Eye of…" The male Renamon phase shifted before the move could be unleashed, reappeared in front of Dracmon, seized both his hands and proceeded to squeeze them tightly. "Ugh! Stop! Stop! I give up!"

Myotismon, watching the battle from the depths of his dungeon, saw that his lackey was on the verge of defeat. "Interesting…let's see how two rookies fair against a champion." He waved a hand in front of the crystal. "Darkness Digivolution…!"

Pure dark matter erupted from the ground, engulfing Dracmon like a flood of water, and forced the male Renamon to release his grip, back-flipping to avoid it. "Dracmon, dark digivolve to…! Sangloupmon…!"

Yamaki and Rika pulled up on the scene, jumping out of the van to two surprises. "Who is that?"

"It…looks like a second Renamon! And I think _my _Renamon is back…But I'm more concerned about _him_!" Rika used the scanner on her digivice to identify the enemy. "Sangloupmon, champion level beast type digimon…his special attack, Sticker Blade, can finish any opponent faster than they could try to defend against it."

"I don't know who you are or where you came from but we'll need to work together to defeat him." Although he failed to answer, it appeared that they were on the same page. Both of them then leapt high into the air. "Diamond Storm…!"

Although their attacks were spot on, Sangloupmon was unaffected by the barrage of diamonds due to his higher level, including the added power provided by Myotismon, and countered with Sticker Blade which created thousands of sharp knives aimed at the two digimon. Rika, already with a card in hand, swiped it through her digivice.

"Digi-modify…WarGreymon Brave Shield, activate…!" The legendary Mega's armor appeared being wielded by Renamon who protected herself, and the other fox, from the attack. "Time to fight a champion with a champion..!" Rika popped open the brown card box buckled to her waist and pulled out another power modify card. "Digi-Modify...digivolution, activate!"

"Renamon, digivolve to..!" The rookie data was stripped away leaving behind only a wireframe which changed as she digivolved into her champion form. "Kyubimon..!"

Before either could attack Sangloupmon disassembled himself and vanished into the shadows they were casting on the ground much to everyone's surprise. He reappeared, tackling Kyubimon through a nearby wall then tail whipping the Renamon into the water.

* * *

Antylamon was barely managing to hold her own against Terriermon, Impmon, Guardramon and MarineAngemon as Henry and Suzie observed from above while, back in the base, Guilmon had broken through the door into the lab just in time to see a ceiling tile being put back into its place. "Pyro-Sphere..!"

"Whoa!" Janyu was already on the move, followed closely by Takato who had managed to avoid the blast. "We've got to split up! I'll draw him away! You get the tranquilizer!" Each went in a different direction with the dinosaur choosing to pursue his partner, who continued through the ceiling duct, avoiding several fire balls along the way, until reaching a point at which his weight was too much sending him crashing down to the catwalk below. "Ouch…that hurt…definitely not one of my better plans. It's right up there with jumping aboard Locomon alone."

Guilmon came around the corner, growling ferociously at having to hunt his prey so feverishly. Just as he was about to unleash the penultimate pyro-sphere against his own tamer a single dart struck him in the neck, rendering the digimon unconscious in a matter of seconds and giving Takato the opportunity to breathe a sigh of relief.

Janyu appeared, holding the tranquilizer gun at the ready just in case one wasn't enough. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…another few seconds and well…I don't even want to think about it." Mr. Wong helped his son's friend off the floor. "Let's just hope that keeps him out long enough for the others to get rid of Dracmon because I don't think I can take much more of this."

* * *

"Get up!" Rika yelled to the downed champion, providing just enough of a warning for her to dodge a second wave of blades.

"Dragon Wheel…!" The first counter-attack was easily broken through by Sangloupmon, who hit Kyubimon with a vicious head butt directly in the gut sending her crashing to the ground covered in bruises. "He's…too strong…get out of here…!"

"No!" Rika ran over to her injured digimon, hugging her in a tight embrace and determined to remain by her side no matter what. "I lost you once; I'm not losing you again!"

* * *

Antylamon's strength was waning. Suzie kept cheering her on but the continued onslaught by several digital monsters of varying levels was taking its toll. _Can't do this much longer…I can't destroy them but if something doesn't give soon…I'll be the one getting destroyed!_

* * *

Sangloupmon saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Like his master, he knew no mercy. There was only one thought on his mind…to eliminate all digidestined. Failure was not an option, for it would mean a fate worse than death. "Sticker…" The 2nd Renamon launched out from a geyser of water, flipped and flying kicked the virus digimon in the face. "Ugh!"

_This is our chance…_ Kyubimon summoned every ounce of strength she had left to pull herself up before sprinting at full speed, dishing out some revenge with her own _energy charged_ head-butt followed by a diamond storm that hit Sangloupmon from behind which, while not enough to end finish the battle, forced him to de-digivolve back into rookie form. "Dragon Wheel…!"

A wave of cerulean blue energy, in the form of a dragon, engulfed Dracmon, disassembling his data which neither Kyubimon nor the white Renamon decided to load.

* * *

Antylamon fell to both knees exhausted, reverting back into Lopmon soon after and collapsed further onto the pavement face down but still semi-conscious. Henry embraced and turned his sister, who was crying uncontrollably, away, not wanting her to witness the grim act he believed was sure to follow. _This is just like Leomon all over again…_

However, no such repeat of that tragedy occurred. For the second that the other digimon surrounded her, an aura of dark energy escaped their bodies quicker than the blink of an eye, leaving them dazed but freed from the mind control.

"Oh…what's going on?" Terriermon, who would normally provide a quip in any given situation, was at a loss for words due to his state of confusion. It was then he noticed Lopmon lying on her stomach only a few yards away and hurried to aid her. "Are you okay!? Say something!"

Lopmon managed to groan out a reply. "You…are _so _having tea time with Suzie…for the next month! Princess…Pretty Pants…!"

Terriermon looked more horrified than ever before but wisely decided against arguing with her.

* * *

Back in DATA, Guilmon regained consciousness with Takato and Mr. Wong standing over him, the latter ready with another tranquilizer. "Oh...Takato? Is that you?"

"Guilmon! You're back!" Takato exclaimed, releasing his digimon from the straps holding him down right before hugging him.

"Hmm? What happened? Where did I go?" The tamer never got the opportunity to explain as the dinosaurs stomach began growling right on cue. "Oh! I'm so hungry...can we have some lunch now please?"

Janyu and Takato burst out in laughter that, after all the close calls they had gone through separately and together, that Guilmon's only concern was to find something to eat. "No problem, boy...no problem."

* * *

Kyubimon became Renamon once again, nearly collapsing but found herself supported by Rika. The two locked eyes and exchanged a smile which quickly faded from the vixen's face when she remembered what Dracmon made her do to their friend. As Yamaki made his way over to them he caught Ryan's digivice which was tossed to him by the other Renamon who pointed at the collapsed structure. "Who are you?"

Renamon's question was left unanswered as her male counterpart turned and vanished. Yamaki examined the device closer to find it was on Radar Mode with an arrow pointing in the direction where the building once stood. "I think he wants us to follow it. Come on."

The trio carefully coursed their way through the debris field that led to another row of abandoned warehouses. A mixture of moans and groans could faintly be heard coming from behind several stacks of green metallic barrels. Upon further inspection they discovered Ryan, leaned up against the wall, starting to awaken and seemingly unharmed despite having an entire structure collapse on top of him.

"Mm…where…where am I?" Ryan's vision came into focus enough that he could make out all three smiling faces but concentrated on one in particular at which point everything came back to him. "Hey…I need a favor from you…try not to toss me around like a rag doll, intentionally or unintentionally, for a while. I don't think it's good for my health. So, who pulled me out of there dare I ask?"

"Your partner…" Yamaki wasted no time in breaking the news. Ryan was less shocked than he should have been as his digivice was returned to him. "…and it looks like you and Rika have something in common now. Though for some odd reason it would appear he prefers to come and go rather than stick around. Hopefully, he'll change his mind sooner rather than later. We're going to need all the help we can get against Myotismon…because_ this_…was just the tip of the iceberg."

Calumon floated out of the nearby vans sun roof, landing on the hood, stretching and yawning as if he'd awakened from a nice afternoon nap. "Ooh…how'd I get here?"

Ryan walked over and picked Calumon up in his arms, holding the tiny digimon the same way that Jeri would in order to comfort him. "Everything's okay now, little guy, it's just been a _long_ couple of days…for _all _of us." He looked down the pathway, onto the horizon. "This one for me especially…"

* * *

**Sorry for the delay everybody! I went on that trip to Mexico I mentioned in one of the previous chapters or stories. Had a blast! Got a cool Yin-Yang pendant down there for twenty bucks (I really like Yin-Yang's and it connects me to the story more). All in all, Miami, the Cruise, Mexico and Key West were truly unbelievable! But now I'm back and the epic saga continues!**


	7. It's Pronounced Karate!

Myotismon clenched a fist and gritted his teeth in anger. Devimon did not feel the same way. He was glad the tamers had won for it would give _him_ another opportunity to impress his master by defeating them himself _eventually_. And he just hated Dracmon to begin with. "I knew that little runt couldn't defeat those children alone. Even with their digimon under his control he managed to get himself destroyed. How pathetic…"

A red energy whip, the Crimson Lightning attack, struck the ground near Devimon's feet causing him to jump back. "Need I remind you that failure has also become your moniker!? Or have you forgotten!?"

"But, master, I can…" A second Crimson Lightning wrapped tightly around his throat, choking the life out of Devimon as he was violently pulled in closer by Myotismon.

"The only reason I have not put an end to you _yet_ is due to the fact that I am still in a weakened state and require your assistance to fulfill my conquest of the two worlds. However, the day is coming where I _will_ return to full strength. And by that time, if you haven't figured out another way to make yourself useful or cease failing me, I may be forced to..." Myotismon got him to within inches of his own face. "…_terminate_ certain alliances."

Devimon felt enraged to be threatened in such a way but dared not say or do anything out of fear for the vampire. He was then released from the attack and backed up towards the exit. _I'll prove to him I can get the job done. Enjoy your victory today, digidestined, because one of these days you will be defeated and destroyed…by my hand and mine alone._

* * *

Two days after the dojo was all but destroyed, Sensei Tsukino returned to begin the clean-up process. The bell on the front door rang just seconds before Ryan rounded the corner, glanced around at all the damage and hung his head in shame much to the dismay of his teacher. "It looks much worse than it is. The damage is quite minimal and all classes will resume come the weekend. Why do you look so distressed?"

"Because I feel _partially_ responsible for what happened." Ryan picked up several pieces of wood that had splintered during the previous day's battle. "You trusted me to teach a class and instead look what happened…half the building was trashed and those kids could have been killed in the process."

"This was not your fault." The reassurance did little to ease his protégés depression. "You had no way of knowing that creature, a digimon I believe they are called, would just appear."

Ryan again dropped his head with feelings of guilt and shame. "Yes…I did, sensei…I'm the one who brought her here, I..."

Sensei Tsukino's demeanor never changed even with his student's admission of guilt yet he could feel there was more the teen wanted him to know. "I sense there is something that you wish to tell me but you're afraid that I will be disappointed upon learning the truth. I have always taught you, and all of my pupils, that honesty and integrity are two of the utmost important aspects not only of martial arts but in life as well. You are one of the most honorable individuals I have ever encountered and I would be more displeased if you decided to lie rather than be truthful."

"I know." While one of the toughest decisions he'd ever had to make, at the same time knew it was the _right_ choice. "I'm an agent for D.A.T.A., a secret organization that provides help to the digimon tamers, a group of kids like me with digimon partners, and who are my friends, in protecting the Earth from evil digital monsters. Our enemy, Myotismon, sent Dracmon, who had the power to control the minds of other digimon, to turn our allies against us so that he would have no one to prevent him from destroying all human life on the planet before taking over both worlds. The one who attacked the school belongs to Rika, the girl you met, and fell victim to the hypnotic suggestion I mentioned which explains why she attacked on Saturday...woo…didn't think I could fit that all in one breath…" There was no response to his lengthy explanation. "You don't believe a word I just said, do you?"

"On the contrary, I've learned during my lifetime that the truth does not always have to _make sense_ when it comes to standards of normalcy set by society."

Ryan was at last able to breathe again. "I'm glad you feel that way because I brought someone _else _who wanted to apologize…" The vixen then entered the room at his behest. "Sensei, this is Renamon."

Immediately she bowed, showing respect to the elder and remorse for her actions. "It is an honor. Ryan has spoken very highly of you. Please forgive me for all that I have done."

"The honor is mine. And there is no forgiveness needed to be given." Renamon straightened up, somewhat surprised by his answer. "I can tell that, just like my student, you have a strong sense of honor and respect. Though the blame for what happened is solely with this Myotismon you speak of. I'm sure, in time, he will answer for these monstrous atrocities."

"You can count on it…" Ryan added, tensing up with anger but managing to keep it in check.

"Hello? Is anybody here?" The voice prompted Renamon to make a stealthy exit as a woman in her mid-twenties with soft brown eyes, medium length red-violet hair and wearing a green pants suit appeared. "Hi, there, I'm Lucy Collins with the Helix City Chronicle. You must be Takeo Tsukino. Hope I said that right. We spoke on the phone yesterday?"

Takeo gave a nod as he spoke. "Yes. I believe I _politely _declined your request for an interview."

"You're the first to do so. Though I was hoping to speak with a Ryan Riley…" She turned all her attention onto a new target. "…I'll assume that's you?"

There was no doubt in his mind that reporters were nothing but trouble, especially when trying to keep a low profile. "Guess I should be flattered a woman came all this way to see me but I'm at a loss actually. What could possibly bring you all the way out to Fox Hollow? I'm sure there are a lot more interesting things going on in Helix City."

"That's usually the case…on _most_ days. I got a call from a friend whose child was in the karate class you were instructing and she told me her daughter said that a digimon attacked and threw you right through that glass window there. I checked with the hospital. Turns out you weren't even admitted. And from the look of it, you don't seem to have any form of injury whatsoever." He had removed the head bandage earlier which only further hurt his cover. "I also inquired with the police. That's how I knew about the statement you just gave, and how I'd find you here, but they wouldn't release any details about an ongoing investigation. Care to share with me _exactly _what happened that day?"

Thinking quick on his feet, Ryan came up with a nearly flawless lie. "I don't know where all this _digimon_ stuff came from but I'll tell you what I told the cops: I was attacked by some nut job in a Halloween mask. And I don't think he was trick or treating."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe it was someone wearing a mask? Digimon are real, you know. The "something like that couldn't happen" excuse is out the window on that one."

"Look, I don't care whether you believe me or not. Interview's over. I have a dojo to help fix."

Lucy shot him a frustrated glare, turned and began walking away but stopped for one last word. "There's more going on here than you're letting on. I'm sure of it. I'll find out what you're trying to hide before long. This isn't the last you've seen of or heard from me."

With that she was gone, for the time being, allowing Renamon to reappear. "Well, looks like I'm on her radar from now on. Oh and I know how you feel about lying but…"

Takeo raised a hand to silence him. "There are certain _occasions_ where it is…_acceptable_."

* * *

Suzie picked up her pink plastic tea pot, emblazoned with star stickers, and poured imaginary tea into four small plastic cups. Her own, two that were in front of stuffed animals and the last being Terriermon's who was sitting directly across from her, wearing a white dress with pink trim and a southern style hat.

Lopmon watched from the doorway, with absolutely zero remorse, the embarrassment that he was suffering through when Henry approached from behind, holding back laughter upon looking into the room. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Is it that obvious?" Terriermon looked in their direction mouthing out the word help prompting them to walk down the hall to continue the conversation in private. "I needed a vacation from Suzie's world for a while anyway. Hopefully this princess phase will pass soon. It's been two years already, right? Something's got to give."

"All I know is you deserved a break." He wholeheartedly agreed with her. "Kyubimon destroyed Dracmon but the two of you did something even more difficult: you went up against our friends and kept them from hurting anyone. Not to mention preventing the destruction they could have done." Lopmon appreciated the praise from her tamers brother. "I know it's frustrating, sitting on the sidelines so much because of Suzie's age. But I promise if we're ever in a tight spot like that again…you'll be right there with us."

Before she had a chance to offer her thanks, Terriermon came running passed with Suzie hot on his tail. "No! That's where I draw the line! I am not wearing make up! Henry!"

"Come back, Princess Pretty Pants! You need to look your best for the dinner party tonight!"

* * *

Later that very night, after nearly everyone in D.A.T.A. had gone home, Yamaki remained in the darkened control room illuminated only by Riley's monitor where he was sitting, reviewing the security footage from inside the base itself. He had already gone through all of Guilmon's exploits that day but was befuddled by one video in particular.

_How? There's no way he could have just disappeared and then reappeared miles away! _He kept rewinding feverishly to the point where Ryan disappeared only to be met with three seconds of static every time. _Something's not right with this kid. And the next time I see him, I'm going to get some answers._

* * *

The rest of the week went by without a hitch. By Saturday morning the karate school had its re-opening after being repaired for nearly four days. Rika and Renamon, along with Zack, were there to support Ryan considering how bad his first attempt as an instructor went. "It's almost time for the class to begin and no one's here. I knew it. The parents don't want their children coming back here after what happened…can't say I blame them."

"Don't worry." Zack patted his best buddy on the shoulder. "If you have faith, they will come."

Ryan couldn't help but lighten up and laugh. "If you're going to quote _great_ movies like Field of Dreams…try not to make the lines you change sound so corny. Thanks, though. I needed that."

Renamon felt inconsolably terrible for costing him all his students and was about to apologize when the door opened, sounds of excitement and chatter filling the halls. She phase shifted away just as all the kids, who showed up for the previous session, came walking onto the mat. "I can't believe it. I didn't think any of you were going to show."

"Why's that, Mr. Riley?" Timmy, wearing a new pair of glasses, asked while placing his duffel bag aside.

"I just figured your moms and dads wouldn't want you here because of…you know."

"Are you kidding!?" Jenny interrupted with added exuberance. "When we told our parents that you fought off a _digimon_ they practically told us we were coming back no matter what!"

"Really…?" The compliment went right to Ryan's head, inflating his ego just enough to where it wouldn't cause him to show off or anything of that sort. "Alright…we'll continue where we left off last time and then move onto some basic katas."

* * *

Two hours later, after all the students had left, Sensei Tsukino, having observed the class along with Rika, Renamon and Zack, walked over to Ryan who was wiping the sweat from his forehead with a red towel. "You did an excellent job today…_Master_ Riley."

"Master…? Do you mean…?" There were no words to express the feelings of anticipation.

"There is nothing more I can teach you. Now it is your turn to pass on what you have learned to others. The morning classes on the weekends are yours if you want."

Zack gave his best friend big thumbs up. Rika smiled and Renamon nodded. "It would be my honor. I can't thank you enough."

They both bowed to one another then shook hands. "No thanks are necessary. You have earned this. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go and pick up some items at the store. I will see you tomorrow…bright and early."

As his sensei departed, Ryan could not help but feel as if a dream finally came true. Not only had he achieved one of the highest ranks in martial arts but now was an instructor as well. "Congrats, buddy!" Zack jumped onto Ryan's back, giving him a noogie before being thrown off. "I say we celebrate with some pizza…on me!"

"Whoa, you're buying? It's a miracle! I'd better get changed before you change your mind."

"We'll wait for you in the hall." Rika stated, giggling a little as she and Zack left the room.

Ryan turned around, heading towards the office, where there was a private bathroom, and ran into Renamon. There was a moment of awkward silence between them. She felt humiliated and angry for being unable to break free from Dracmon's control sooner. "I…word cannot express how sorry I am. I…"

"Renamon, don't." He knew what was coming and tried to prevent it. "Blaming yourself for what happened isn't going to help anyone. If anything it'll give Myotismon a _personal_ victory, knowing that he was able to hurt us in a different way. By making you doubt yourself and your abilities. I want you to see something that I probably should have shown you sooner but I keep forgetting to." Reaching into the gi he pulled out a small yin-yang medallion that hung from his neck. "I bought this during a vacation my mother took my sister and me on the year we met. I've worn it every day since because it reminded me of someone special. So don't let what _Dracmon_ did make you feel weak and shamed because it would destroy everything that _this_ and _you _mean to me. I was controlled once too. Remember? "

"I do." Coupled with that particular memory, the motivational speech did what it was meant to and raised the fox's spirits. "And you're right. If I feel sorry for myself, Myotismon will have already won. Thank you for believing in me."

"Don't mention it. Just don't use your foot to choke me out again, please?" He joked, rubbing his throat. "I'll be right back."

* * *

About two minutes later, inside the offices bathroom, Ryan was just about to put his shirt on when he spotted something in the mirror that caused him some concern. Before having a chance to examine it an intense pain began radiating through his torso, as if someone had reached a hand in to rearrange his insides.

"I wonder what's taking him so long…" Zack asked, checking his watch. "…I'm hungry."

"Should one of us go check on him?" Rika suggested, looking at her partner who silently decided to do just that.

"Ugh! What's…happening?" Gripping the edges of the sink, which quickly cracked under the pressure, he continued to grunt and groan as his entire body suddenly felt as if it were on fire. "Someone, please…Help me!" Renamon's ears perked up, hearing his cries of agony, along with the other two, as the trio raced to aid him. Ryan let go of the broken porcelain, brought both arms far out to their sides and arched his neck to release a loud, blood-curdling scream.

Upon reaching the office, the three witnessed bright rays of light coming from the crevices in the door, lasting only several seconds, then stopping altogether. "What the heck was that?"

Rika ignored the question and quickly opened the door. To all their surprise, no one was inside. The only evidence that Ryan had been in there was his t-shirt on the floor, jacket, medallion and digivice neatly sitting on the toilet seat. "He's gone."

Renamon walked in, trying to sense if anything had forcefully taken him, and ended up finding a familiar scent, besides the teenager's, which led her to a tuft of white fur stuck in one of the sinks cracks.

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**Sorry for the delay with this update. One more short chapter for this which I will upload later or tomorrow and then onto a much bigger and enjoyable story. I'm going to do my best to get the first chapter up by Thursday or sooner. Oh and I changed Ryan's Sensei's name to Takeo to fit more. Don't know where I got John from. Lol.**


	8. Creature In The Night

**Just wanted to say this update is quite short. Like a wrap up epilogue if you will. It may become a staple for my stories. Enjoy!**

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Midnight in the town of Fox Hollow. Hailey Riley, Ryan's younger sister, had gotten up from bed to get a snack and drink from the refrigerator.

After getting the desired items she went to grab some napkins from the holder, sitting just beneath the window, when a pair of glowing blue eyes, illuminated further by the darkness outside, frightened the girl causing her to drop the glass filled with juice to the ground and scream.

Mrs. Riley, awakened by her daughter's distress, jumped up and raced into the kitchen. "What is it? What happened?"

"There's something out there! It was staring at me!" Her hand trembled heavily with fear as she pointed directly at the window, though whatever it had been was clearly gone. "I'm telling you, mom, there was someone or _something_ out there!"

"It was probably just a deer or some other animal, sweetheart. That's all. Go back to bed, okay?"

Hailey reluctantly went back upstairs. Mrs. Riley walked to the front door then the back making sure both were locked up, turned off the lights and returned to her own bedroom, failing to see a silhouetted figure leaping onto a nearby tree limb big enough to support its weight.

It began looking into a nearby bedroom, edging closer and closer to the outer windowsill. Storm, jumped up onto his master's bed and started barking loudly at the monster which quickly turned into a low whine as he put his paw up against the glass which was mimicked, a larger one being pressed gently against the window.

Ryan's bedroom opened, Mrs. Riley entered. "It's late! Stop barking and get down from there before you wake the entire neighborhood!" Storm was obedient, left his spot and went into the hallway. "Good boy." A gust of wind came through the now semi-open window prompting her to close it without a second thought. "I told him not to leave this open at night, especially when he decided to stay at Zachary's…kids these days."

The creature was gone, having disappeared back into the night…for the time being.

To be continued...

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**Who is this mysterious new Renamon? And where is Ryan? Is Myotismon behind his disappearance? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!**


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